Ascent is a leading Australian company at the forefront of advanced defence technologies. It specializes in guided weapons, explosive ordnance, and systems integration. Renowned for its innovative solutions across the air, land, and maritime sectors, Ascent supports Defence projects both domestically and internationally.
Ascent, as a 100% veteran-owned consultancy, plays a pivotal role in system design, development, and implementation for defense, with a specialized focus on guided weapons and explosive ordnance. Through Zero Dawn (an Ascent company), it advances Australian sovereign explosives manufacturing and R&D to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen Australian industrial capabilities. Actively engaged in the AUKUS alliance, Ascent leverages its expertise to export Australian innovation to partners in the United States and United Kingdom via strategic pathways like partnerships and US market access. We are fortifying defense ties and advancing Australia’s global defence industry presence.
Zero Dawn
Zero Dawn, an Australian-owned explosives manufacturer and R&D company, directly advances the Australia’s Defence Industry Development Strategy by delivering sovereign capability in one of the seven Australian Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities: domestic manufacture of guided weapons, explosive ordnance, and munitions. Through focused defense-industry innovation, Zero Dawn strengthens Australia’s resilient, competitive industrial base, enhances national security self-reliance, and supports scalable GWEO production to meet ADF needs in a contested strategic environment.
Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance
Ascent supports the Australian Defence Force across Guided Weapons & Explosive Ordnance sustainment and acquisition and is regarded as a service provider of choice. While EO is our core, we also operate across the Land Domain beyond Explosive Materiel Branch, including ECM, C-IED and Test and Evaluation to enhance EO capability. Ascent strengthens Australia’s weapons programs by providing senior engineering services to Government across Land, Maritime, Aerospace and Joint Domains. Through a joint venture, Ascent also supports the Australian Space Agency with launch services and risk hazard assessments for launch licence applications. Together, Zero Dawn and Ascent’s GWEO engineering capability deliver a unified advantage for defence customers by strengthening asset assurance, elevating mission readiness, whilst enabling sustained through-life performance and safety across critical explosive ordnance systems.
Australian agent for Hui Huliau Defense Systems - a Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO)
Sole Australian Defence company partnered with a Super 8(a) NHO company with access to sole-sourced US Federally funded contracts
Access to private and government owned weapons test ranges
Subject Matter Experts (SME) for guided weapons & explosive ordnance sustainment and acquisition
Headquartered in Australia with offices in all major Australian states and having authorised access to Military facilities to support US/ Australian customer base
Office in Ft Worth, Texas to further support our global customer base
Specialist Engineering & Logistic support for guided weapons and explosive ordnance (GWEO) projects
Australian Department of Defence
Rheinmetall
Australian Space Agency
L3 Harris Technologies - Integrated Mission Systems (USA)
Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG - Australia)
Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise
Boeing Defence Australia
Raytheon Australia
Nioa
Hui Huliau Defense Systems – a Super 8(a) NHO company
The American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham)
Praxis Aerospace
Lot Fourteen
Defence Teaming Centre (Australia)
Veterans Employment
Soldier On
The University of Adelaide (Australia)
UNSW Launch
Applied Explosive Technologies (AET)
RUREX
Praetorian Aeronautics
ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems
Defence Innovation, Science and Technology (DIST) (Australia) Panel level across Aeronautical Engineering, Blast Physics, Energetic Materials, Undersea Warfare and Sonar Technologies
Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) (Australia) accredited
Defence Service Support (DSS) (Australia) Panel Level 4 Certified: Aerospace Systems & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Test and Evaluation, and others up to Level 3